Packing material



Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES OLIVER T. HUNGERFORD, 0F BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

' PACKING MATERIAL.

No Drawing.

My invention relates to a material designed primarily for use as a packing or for upholstering'f It is particularly desirable for use as journal box packing and maybe used for all kinds of upholstering where a light, resilient material is desired. The object is not only to provide a superior product for the purposes, but to obtain said product from materialwhich has heretofore been considered largely a waste material and of no particular value. The product obtained possesses many advantages over others com- -monly used for a the purposes indicated. First, it is much less expensive, it is more elastic and resilient as a packing or upholstering material, has greater absorbing capacity for oil and gives oil the oil more freely when used for such purposes as journal box packing, and may beobtained in unlimited quantities at a comparatively small cost.

In manufacturing the product, I take the flax straw, which, as is well known, consists of a fibrous, gummy and woody substance, and subject the same to a chemical treatment as by boiling it in a bath of caustic soda or appropriate combination of sodas, to remove the gum and to facilitate the separation of the fiber from the woody portion or shive, which process is well known to those skilled in the art, and then dry the same, then pass it through a decortieating machine. The resulting product is a fine, fibrous, flufi'y, wooly mass of great absorbing qualities. Withthis I mix an appropriate quantity of a harder, more resilient, material such as sisal fiber, which has aninherent resiliency and, when appropriately mixed With the flax fiber, lends to the mass an elasticity and resiliency which makes it peculiarly desirable for the purposes stated. Instead of the sisal fiber, a harder, tougher portion of the flax straw, or some other similar material may be substituted.

It will be understood, of course, that the proportion of this hard, resilient, woody fiber used will depend upon the purpose for is desired, a smaller proportion of the sisal fiber or other materialand more of the" flax fiber is employed.

Application filed April 12, 1927 Serial No. 183,246.

In actual practice it has been found that the material constituting this invention is much lighter than other material commonly used for the same purpose, and that the same or better results can be secured by the use of a much smaller quantity by weight; that the cost per pound is likewise much less than the cost per pound of material commonly used for like purposes; that when used as a packing for journal boxes a much larger quantity of oil is taken up or absorbed or carried by the same quantity of the material of this invention than by a corresponding quantity of other materials commonly used for such purposes; further, the oil is given oil to the journal more freely because of the more fiuify, porous and resilient character of the packing than is the case when packing of other materials is employed. When used for upholstery the material is found to retain its resilient character and does not pack and become hard as isthe case with many other materials used for like purposes. All of theseconditions tend to enhance the value of the invention and testify to its importance in the art.

It will be understood, of course, that various modifications in my invention may be made without departing therefrom, the sub-, stance of the invention consisting in providlnga product consisting of flax fiber mixed with a harder, resilient substance to produce a product for the purposes stated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A packing material consisting, of fibrous material recovered from flax straw and having mixed therewith a percentage of harder, flexible, resilient substance, substan tially as set forth.

2. A packing material consisting of flax fiber a percentage of sisal fiber, substantially as set forth.

3. A packing material consisting of flax fiber mixed with a harder, tougher and more resilient substance, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Washington, District of Columbia, this 8th day of April, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-seven.

OLIVER T. HUNGERFORD. 

